After finishing our late morning round of golf at the Austin Country Club, we traveled about an hour and a half northwest into the Hill Country to the beautiful Horseshoe Bay resort. The GPS routed us down one of the side streets that took us in a back way, so we missed the main boulevard entrance to the main Marriott Tower to check-in. But once there, we were promptly greeted, checked in and were off to our villa accommodations. The villas are a great set up for golfers or families. They were each two stories with a kitchenette, living room, and half bath downstairs and two bedrooms, each with a full bathroom upstairs. We enjoyed the pool and later on did some exploring of the resort. As we strolled the property we were amazed by all the activities available for both families and non-golfers.
The next morning we were off to the first course we played, Slick Rock. It’s a quick 5-minute drive from the Villas. The loading area was a bit tight and congested, but the staff was quick to help us unload get settled into our carts. Our first stop was in the pro shop to check-in, very spacious, and well-stocked with a variety of items and demo clubs. One of our guys broke his driver on our round at ACC but was able to get a Callaway Rouge from one of the rental sets to use.
Slick Rock
Slick Rock is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design and received a complete renovation in 2016. Slick Rock originally opened in 1972 and was the first course built at Horseshoe Bay. The elevated tiered driving range with stone walls is a nice touch and a great place to begin. After warming up, we headed to the 1st tee. Even with 100° plus temperatures, the course was in great shape. As we stood at the 1st hole talking to the starter about what tees to play for our group, there was an ambiance and feel of a prestigious older resort course. We settled on the regular tees, which totaled 6342 yards. The first tee is a nice warm-up par-4 with a slight dogleg right with three bunkers surrounding the green. The next hole is a 140-yard par-3 that drops about 20 feet and has a small lake you have to carry. With a little bit of wind, club choice came into play. I hit a great shot within 10 ft of the pin; however, the green got me as I missed my birdie (and par) ugh.
What we noticed is that the course plays through a neighborhood and is outlined by houses along both sides for most of the course. Four of the first nine holes had water features, and all the greens had at least two bunkers adjacent to them. I liked the old oak trees throughout the course. After getting a feel for the layout, several of our guys thought this would have been the course to move back to the big boy tees; the front nine didn’t provide many challenges to our group.
The Back Nine – A different course emerges!
As we made the turn, the 10th is the #2 handicap and is another 540-yard par-5. We all took double bogey; perhaps we are playing the right tees! Slick Rock became more challenging as we proceeded on the back nine. Number 12 is another challenging par five that requires your approach shot to hit a green next to the clubhouse with water all along the right side. I know it sounds weird; the clubhouse does run along the 12th, something I had never seen before.
Thirteen is a narrow par three that holds a surprise around the corner of the green. It’s the signature 14th tee box. Wow, get your cameras out. The tee box is beautiful and breathtaking as you look out over the tiered waterfall and creek. The tee shot looks intimidating, but in reality, you don’t have to hit it long off the tee. We took numerous photos of our group at the waterfall. The cart path was unique as the creek flowed over it as you drove through. Very cool and something else we’ve never seen before.
Fifteen has a generous fairway, but the green is tough to hit as it is elevated and has a bunker strategically centered right in the front middle. Seventeen looked like a short par three when you first see it, but it plays 180 yards. It has an elevated tee with a great view. We all struggled on this one with no one making par.
The 18th is a nice par-4 dogleg right finishing hole. The tee shot is narrow near the tee boxes, and the landing area is surrounded by bunkers on both sides of the fairway. If you hit the fairway, your final shot is uphill to a green protected by bunkers on both sides. So it’s better to go long than short.
Slick Rock Course Rating 3.7 out of 5
As we wrapped up our morning round, we felt Slick Rock was a great resort course and had whet our appetite for more golf later that afternoon. 3.7 might sound like a harsh rating, it was the lowest-rated course we played during our trip to Austin, but at 3.7 that is still above average compared to other courses around the country. The front nine was extremely weak, lots of short holes without much challenge or imagination, but a strong back nine impressed our group. As we made the turn, the majority of us felt as if we had jumped over to a different course.
lick Rock is still above average compared to other courses around the country. The front nine of Slick Rock was extremely weak, lots of short holes without much challenge or imagination, but a strong back nine impressed our group. As we made the turn, the majority of us felt as if we had jumped over to a different course.
All in all, Slick Rock is a classic resort course and a perfect course to introduce someone to the game. If I were taking the family to Horseshoe Bay and wanted to introduce someone to the game of golf, I’d head directly to Slick Rock and let the fun begin.
Quick Bite To Eat
Not having much time between rounds, we grabbed a quick sandwich at the Slick Rock clubhouse. I was impressed with the number of staff working in the dining room and the speed at which they got us or lunch and back on the road.
Apple Rock
After lunch, we loaded up for the quick drive straight to the Apple Rock Course. Apple Rock is the newest Robert Trent Jones course at Horsehoe Bay and recently reopened early this year following a complete green and bunker renovation. Apple Rock has some of the highest and most scenic views at Horseshoe Bay.
We could tell the elevation was higher as we drove closer, and that had us anticipating the vertical elevations we’d heard about on the course. The first thing we noticed about Apple Rock is that the facilities are very modern. The clubhouse is brand new, with other facilities still under construction. Although the restaurant wasn’t open yet, there is a food truck set up for snacks and drinks. The staff was great, very accommodating, and soon had us off to the first tee.
The Best Front 9 Ever
At the 1st tee, we got our first taste of the elevations at Apple Rock. The par-4 dogleg right is a great starting hole and drops about 80 ft. from the tee box. I love it when you get to tee off downhill and get all that extra distance. The 2nd hole is a long par-4 dogleg right, which also had us hitting downhill off the tee. You have to be straight off the tee boxes to shoot the gap between the trees. A good tee shot will give you a chance at a green in regulation, but anything short will most likely put you in one of the two bunkers protecting the green. Hole 3 is the first par-3. It played 180 yards with a water area protecting the front and right side of the green. It’s a challenging hole in which you have to land softly with the right club; unfortunately, there were no pars in our group! We were amazed at how the first three holes all played downhill off the tee box.
Number 4 is the number 1 handicap, a 533 yd par-5 that was our first uphill tee shot. You have to hit a good tee shot and land on the fairway. The green is very challenging as you have to hit up to it, and two bunkers are protecting the front side of the green. The long hitters will love this hole. As we came off number 4 and drove to the number 5 tee box, we passed by an amazing house on the course that overlooked the tee box and had us all envious. Number 8 is the 2nd par 3. It’s only 147 yards, but it’s all carry over water to a green surrounded by three bunkers. I liked this hole as it was one of my few pars! Number 9 had us heading uphill back to the clubhouse, a 380-yard par-4 that plays longer due to the approximately 50-foot elevation change.
Apple Rock Back Nine
As we made the turn past the clubhouse and proceeded to number 10, the view wowed us. It’s one of the highest elevated tee boxes, and you can see Lake LBJ and a good portion of the surrounding countryside. Just hit it down the middle as this is a straight 544-yard par-5 that drops over 100 feet from tee to green. Number 11 is also a par-5. It helped to have a yardage guide book as the green is very challenging with the water encroaching on the left side landing area.
Going from the two par 5’s to the number 12 par three was a real treat. We hadn’t heard about this hole before our round, but we’re still talking about it. It is one of the nicest par 3’s we’ve seen. You travel across a wooden bridge to the tee box where you must carry a large portion of the lake onto a peninsula green. We were marveling at the views of the lake as we wondered what club to use and who had the biggest boat!
The next real challenging hole was number 16, a 357-yard par-4. You’re forced to keep the driver in the bag as you try to hit about 200 yards and not go through the fairway into the rocks and a waiting creek. A successful tee shot will leave you with a 150-yard uphill shot to the green. I loved the variety of this hole compared to the rest of the course.
We must have made a wrong turn going from 16 to 17 as we ended up on a hole from the other course, so watch your directions! After a quick detour, we were back to the par-3 number 17, an uphill 180-yard shot with five bunkers around the green. As the number 18 handicap, it did play the easiest for our group with 3 out of 4 pars. The finishing hole at 18 is a short par 4. The challenge here is to avoid the right-hand fairway bunkers off the tee. This hole goes uphill about 50 feet, so beware of being short of the green, which is heavily protected by bunkers.
Apple Rock Course Rating 4.6 out of 5
Apple Rock scored an extraordinary 4.6 rating, the second-highest rating for any course we played in Austin, second only to the University of Texas Golf Club. The front nine of Apple Rock is the best front nine I’ve ever played, period! Heck, the first 12 holes are all out of this world. I still remember as we made our way around the course thinking, ok it can’t get any better than this hole only to find myself repeating that thought minutes later. The course went into a lull for a 3-hole stretch from 13-15 but rebounded nicely to cap off a great round of golf.
Overall, we had a great time at Horseshoe Bay Resort, and despite the 100° plus temperatures, the fairways and greens were in great shape. I can only imagine what the rounds would be like when the fall weather approaches. Our short time at Horseshoe Bay only gave us a glimpse of all the amenities the resort has to offer. Horseshoe Bay is a great destination resort for both families and golfers. With multiple excellent golf courses, a marina and lake activities, clay court tennis, multiple restaurants, and the option to stay in the towers or villas.
My only regret is that we didn’t have a chance to spend more time at Horseshoe Bay, the Apple Rock course was a breathtaking experience. If we had another day at the resort, it would have been great to play Ram Rock and the members-only Summit Rock. When booking your trip, make sure to plan enough time to experience all that Horseshoe Bay has to offer!